Interim evaluation of the training for development project of USAID/Morocco : a HERNS project report

The project is being implemented by USAID/M, the Direction de la Formation des Cadres (DFC), and AmidEast. The evaluation covers the period 8/92-4/94. Component one, aimed at strengthening Morocco's training infrastructure, is shifting toward a sharper focus on institutional development. However, many of the institution-building activities have not yet begun or have just begun, largely because AmidEast had to spend about 8 months selecting 14 Moroccan partner institutions. TA (in curriculum and faculty development, management, and marketing) will be provided to these partner institutions beginning in mid-1994. The U.S. training component is not making good progress toward its goals; the Moroccan private sector does not consider U.S. Master's training worth the cost, and the short-term U.S. training being provided is spread thinly across sectors and institutions, and thus is not creating core groups of trained individuals. Targets for private sector trainees and for women are not being met. It is recommended that U.S. Master's training and short-term training for mid-level cadres be replaced with equivalent programs, tailored to their specific needs, in some of the 14 Moroccan partner institutions. However, high-level personnel in Morocco's training industry and in selected sectors should be exposed to their U.S. industries in the United States through customized study tours, attendance at conferences, etc. Overall, the project has been well-managed by USAID/M and AmidEast. Although there have been significant delays in scheduled activities, these are generally due to interorganizational structural and communication problems rather than to internal management inefficiency. In the case of DFC, project management appears to be less efficient. Indicators for measuring project progress and impact are inadequate. There is a particular need to define impact indicators more precisely at all three levels of project activity -- individual, institutional, the sectoral.